Hi there! Thanks for dropping by Dottie's Doorstep. My name is Dottie-Lynn and I live in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. My husband and I have just retired to a picturesque community that is very relaxing and friendly. For many years I was employed as a Fire Department Dispatcher which is a very stressful profession, so I now find the peace and quiet of country life very appealing. It is wonderful to be away from the "Big City".
I am a Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor. I was struck by lightning while driving my car in June of 1974. This accident profoundly changed my life. I was sitting at a red light with my hands on the steering wheel. There was a terrible thunderstorm raging. I had always been told that you would be safe in a car during a thunderstorm so I wasn't worried, but before the light turned green I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I heard a very loud bang. I felt a tremendous pressure on the top of my head pushing me down and I felt like I was being compacted to about 2 inches in height. My hands were stuck to the steering wheel and I remember praying for God to be with me. It seemed like this lasted for an eternity but it was probably over in a few seconds. People started racing to my car and helped me out. I was very dazed and couldn't talk for quite a awhile. My 5 month old son in the front seat was fine as well as my 5 year old daughter in the back seat. I am so thankful that they didn't get hit by the lightning, As a result of the accident I frequently have what feels like electric currents (brain zaps) moving in my brain. I have some long term memory loss and I have trouble concentrating. Sometimes I also get words mixed up and if you ask me a guestion I will usually give a much longer more detailed answer than was expected. Fortunatley I have a good sense of humor!
I used to be morbidly obese and I had tried every diet in the book to lose the excess weight. I finally had to take control of my life and get serious about getting healthy as I am a diabetic, have lupus, fibromyalgia and arthritis. I reached my top weight of 340 pounds in January of 2000. I had considered bariatric surgery but I live in Canada and this surgery is not covered by our provincial health care plan. I started to live one day at a time and lost a total of 150 pounds!
When I was 10 years old I had a tobogganing accident and shattered my pelvis. I decided to go down the hill one more time on the toboggan after my friends went home for supper. I went farther than ever before and overshot the run and went over the creek embankment and after a 5 foot drop crashed onto the frozen creek bed. I was still sitting on the toboggan and I could hear the sound of my pelvic bone breaking into many pieces. I was alone for over an hour before my family started looking for me. Fortunatley my friends told them where I was the last time they saw me so they found me in the creek bed just below the toboggan hill. I passed out when they started to move me. In 1961 there was no public health coverage in Ontario, Canada, so apparently they took me home and put me to bed. I had to teach myself how to walk again. I was off school for months and when I returned my nickname became "Penguin" because I waddled when I walked. I have since learned that I had internal bleeding but the cold ice coagulated the blood so I survived the accident. By the time I was a young teenager public health coverage had come into effect in Ontario so I went to see the Doctor. He took x-rays and said that my pelvic bone was very mottled and that my hip bone did not sit in the socket of the pelvis so I shouldn't be able to walk and I would not be able to have children. I kept praying and asking God to help me and eventually I did marry and had two wonderful children who are now both married and I am also a Gramma. I couldn't be happier. As a result of the accident I have developed arthritis and suffer great pain and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and lupus. I now have an electric scooter which makes my life so much easier and I now enjoy going places with ease. I have had many health problems in my life, but I feel that they have helped to make me a stronger person. I know that God is always with me. He gives me comfort, peace and hope. I am a survivor and I hope that my story will encourage you.
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